THE WAY I SEE IT

I was talking with an old friend the other day that I haven't seen since high school. We're both retired. He had been an educator and knew I was a cop.

The conversation turned to how society had changed since we were young. We both agreed that kids didn't exhibit the manners that we had been taught. My friend told me that one of the main reasons he had retired from teaching was because the students no longer respected the teacher. Then he said, "I'll bet as a cop you didn't take much shit from anyone."

I took a sip of coffee and told him that just the opposite was true. I said, "I've been spit at and on. I've been called every bad name you can think of. I've been hit, bitten and shot at and then gone to court and had a judge turn a criminal loose on a technicality. No sir, I think I've got you beat on taking shit from people."

Some people think that police officers beat citizens on a regular basis. That's simply not true. When folks witness an arrest sometimes they think the cop is beating someone because the person is resisting. There is no way to arrest a person that is fighting and look good. Especially if the criminal is a female. It's hard to hold someone who is resisting arrest and put handcuffs on them at the same time. If more than one police officer is trying to effect an arrest all the public see's is two officers on top of one person that is screaming, "Stop hurting me!" Don't get me wrong. Resisting arrest can be painful.

Cops have been arresting criminals for a long time. I was taught to protect myself any way I could. If a shit bag wanted to fight with his hands, I used an impact weapon such as a expandable baton or even a flashlight. There are no rules in a fight for your life. If a criminal used a weapon, I pulled my pistol.

New tools such as tasers have helped, but they are not always dependable.

Body cameras are making a difference. The footage seen on shows like Live PD are now telling the real story. Cops have been taking a lot of shit from criminals for a long time. Now the criminals are complaining about the body cameras because they show who they really are.

Law Enforcement is sometimes a hard job. I'd rather be a cop than a school teacher because criminals still can't beat the ride.